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The Mural
ATHENS • MALLORYTOWN
RR#3 & RR#4 BROCKVILLE
ROCKPORT • LANSDOWNE
CHARLESTON LAKE • ELGIN
DELTA • LYNDHURST • LYN
ADDISON • FRANKVILLE • TOLEDO
SEELEY’S BAY • JASPER
VOL. 19 NO. 12 • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2014 • DELIVERED TO OVER 9,200 HOMES • 75¢ INCL. HST
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Parade of Lights offered extra excitement this year
BY SALLY SMID
Perhaps it was the full winter moon or maybe the warmer
temperatures, but the large
crowds that lined the streets of
Athens for the annual Athens
Parade of Lights somehow
seemed to be more spirited
and jubilant as they greeted
the parade participants. A first
this year was a Flash Mob that
took place on Main St. before
the parade. A variety of
soloists participated in a medley of songs as carollers
appeared from the crowd,
concluding with the appearance of the nativity family and
angels re-enacted by the
Taylor family of Athens. MC
Ray Heffernan concluded the
production in noting that this
had been the vision of Grace
Newman and others to include
the true meaning of
Christmas.
Athens prides itself in
being the first night time
parade in the area, starting in
1998. Dale Howard is the
chairman of the parade committee and there are many
people who work behind the
scenes to make the parade
possible each year. Free hot
chocolate is always provided
on Main St. Local merchants
commented on the increase in
business before the parade.
There were a total of 45
entries this year which was
considered to be average. First
time participants was the
lighted motor bike group, the
Celtic Grinches. Wearing kilts
and darting about the streets
in madcap fashion, the group
won first place for most original entry, followed by second
place Millers’ Auto and then
the KIA dealership. A beautiful team of 3 black horses
entered by Mallorytown Auto
received first place in the
horse category, followed by
Antoines, and R & D Dairy.
Heritage
Community
Christian School received the
first place prize for the religious category. St. Joseph’s
Catholic School was second
followed by the Athens
United Church. The first
prize walker was Barnacle
Bill followed by Mother
Barnes and Aunt Sarah Wiltse
of Athens Heritage Society.
Of course for most the
highlight was the arrival of
Santa who was also on hand
at Howards afterwards for
refreshments and further festivities.
Heritage Community Christian School's float won first place in the religious category in the
annual Athens Parade.
Photo by Amy Buzzell
Yonge at Heart parade shines
BY SALLY SMID
The local chapter of the Celtic Grinches were prize winners in the Front
of Yonge parade.
Photo by Sally Smid
This
year ’s
Mallorytown “Yonge at
Heart” parade committee
chairman, Sean Burns,
thanked everyone for
their work in making the
annual event and tree
lighting a “resounding
success”.
“By our estimates our
30 floats and over 160
participants put on a great
sparkling show for over
700 spectators in the village,” he reported.
The parade’s first place
winner was Marwin and
Kathi Antoine with their
Percheron IPM Champion
Plow team, Mac and
Prince.
The Celtic Grinches’
Brockville Chapter with
their lighted customized
motor bikes were the first
runner ups. Perhaps the
colder
temperatures
added a challenge for
them as they darted about
in their kilted attire.
Second runner up was the
Mallorytown
United
Church float with a nativity theme.
Donations to the local
food bank were accepted
along the way. Candies
were distributed to
The Mural office will be closed from
Thursday December 18 to Wednesday January 7.
The next Mural will be in the mailboxes
Wednesday, February 4, 2015. Happy New Year!
delighted spectators.
Community Blooms distributed potted bulbs to
those in the crowd as
well. Children cheered
the arrival of Santa and
Mrs. Claus on the final
float.
The couple
returned
to
the
Mallorytown Community
Centre where everyone
could visit with them.
There were complimentary drinks and cookies for
everyone thanks to the
Junetown
Women's
Institute.

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